Bright white teeth. Straight leg bones. Awkwardly contorted arm bones. On a hot summer day in 2005, Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution peered into an excavated grave, carefully examining the fragile skeleton that had been buried there for four hundred years. He was about fifteen years old when he died. And he was European, Owsley concluded. But how did he know? Just as forensic scientists use their knowledge of human remains to help solve crimes, they use similar skills to solve the mysteries of the long-ago past. Join author Sally M. Walker as she works alongside the scientists investigating colonial-era graves near Jamestown, Virginia, as well as other sites in Maryland. As you follow their investigations, she'll introduce you to what scientists believe are the lives of a teenage boy, a ship's captain, an indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an enslaved African girl. All are reaching beyond the grave to tell us their stories, which are written in bone.
Binding Type: Library Binding
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (R)
Published: 02/01/2009
ISBN: 9780822571353
Pages: 144
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 10.60h x 8.30w x 0.70d
Award: Texas Lone Star Reading List - Commended
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: IndieFab awards - Bronze Medal Winner
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Beehive Awards - Nominee
Award: Benjamin Franklin Award - Winner
Award: Moonbeam Children's Book Award - Bronze Medal Winner
Award: Cybils - Finalist
Review Citations: Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2009
School Library Journal 02/01/2009 pg. 127
Booklist 02/01/2009 pg. 41
Kirkus Review - Children 02/01/2009
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2009 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2009 pg. 328
Kirkus Best Children's Books 11/15/2009 pg. 18
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2009 pg. 37
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/01/2010 pg. 12
ALA Notable Children's Books 03/01/2010 pg. 28
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2009 - Superior,Well Above Average
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 127307 / Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
Reading Level: 9 /
Interest Level: Upper Grade /
Point Value: 6